


Soul Of A Man

by orphan_account



Series: Nicotine & Gravy [3]
Category: Game Grumps
Genre: Blood, Love, M/M, Violence, tragic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-21
Updated: 2016-08-21
Packaged: 2018-08-10 02:28:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,423
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7826692
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A rowdy pack of fresh meat rolls into town hoping to take over Dan's territory, and they go after Arin first.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Soul Of A Man

**Author's Note:**

> Once again, the title is a song by Beck. 
> 
> Okay, this gets a bit tragic, but I can't keep writing 100% icky gooey romance. Surely y'all have to understand.

The weather was starting to cool down as autumn set in, as much as Los Angeles weather could, at least. The heat was starting to fade as a more tolerable temperature took it’s place. Arin was ecstatic, to say the least, he had always had trouble dealing with excessive heat. He wondered why he had moved to LA.

Arin envied the ease with which his boyfriend was able to tolerate the extreme heat, aside from avoiding sunlight. Nothing too devastating happened to him when he got caught in the occasional sunbeam, unless you count what Dan described as “an uncomfortable prickling sensation, like someone is dragging steel wool lightly across your skin” as devastating.

Now that fall had begun, though, Arin was glad to be able to sit around the apartment cuddling with Dan without feeling all gross and sticky. Dan never seemed to mind either way, though, keeping up his usual cheerful demeanor.

At least until something in him just… changed.

He seemed more guarded when they went out together, not like he was embarrassed to be out with his boyfriend, or like he was worried someone would notice that he wasn’t human, but more like he was trying to protect Arin. He was sticking closer to Arin’s side, never letting him out of his sight.

He would tell Arin to stay home, lock his doors and windows and under NO circumstances open them for ANYONE but him. They had a code word.

Arin was sat on his couch thinking about how bizarre Dan had been acting when he heard a knock on the door. He stood, expecting to find his boyfriend looking around nervously behind him with his hands shoved in his coat pockets. What he saw when he peered through the peep hole was someone doing exactly that, only that he wasn’t Dan.

He was tall, built like a tank. Arin didn’t bother studying the man any further before backing away from the door. The knock came again, startling Arin. He scampered to his bedroom, hiding in his closet. He was breathing hard, but he wasn’t exactly sure why he was so afraid. Just the fact that he was so clueless about this danger that Dan was obviously so concerned with only made him more afraid of the man at his door.

About fifteen minutes passed before Arin felt safe enough to come out. He was still in his room when he heard another hard knock. He froze, his heart beginning to race.

He nearly shit himself when his phone started to ring. It was Dan.

“Hello?”

“Hey, baby, I’m home.”

“Hold on a second, I’ll be right there.”

Arin made sure to look through the peephole before asking for the codeword.

“Wolfjob.”

Arin breathed a sigh of relief. He unlocked the door and pulled Dan inside, clamping him into a vise-like hug.

“Christ, Arin, I haven’t been gone that long. I might be immortal, but it’s still very possible to crack my ribs.”

Arin released him, locking the door and returning to the couch.

“Sorry, I’m just…” Arin sighed. “Someone showed up at the door not too long ago. He looked shifty. I hid in the closet until you got home.”

Dan’s expression darkened.

“What did he look like?”

Arin raked his fingers through his hair, trying to remember.

“Fuck, I don’t know. Tall? He looked like he could have busted the door down easy if he wanted.”

“Was he a vampire?”

“I couldn’t tell, I didn’t stick around at the peephole long enough to notice.”

 

Dan sat down beside Arin on the couch, putting his arm around his human boyfriend.

“I should probably tell you what’s going on, I bet that guy scared you shitless.”

“Yeah, an explanation would be great.”

“Every few decades a new pack of amateur vampires blow into town. Newbies, really, usually they’re freshly turned. Whole packs of them get it into their heads that they can just come in and take over my territory. They play dirty, though. They pick off cult members one by one till they make it to me. Thats the theory, anyway. They never make it to me. Mostly my guys cut down their numbers till they’re scurrying home with their tails between their legs. But this time is different. They found out about you.”

Arin froze. A pack of vampires was out to kill him, or worse. He felt his blood run cold.

“Listen, baby, I know it’s terrifying, but I will not let them kill you. I’ve lost too many lovers to motherfuckers just like these, and I am NOT about to lose my favorite.”

“I’m your favorite?”

Dan pressed a gentle kiss to Arin’s lips, and Arin started to feel safer.

“Without a doubt. I knew it from the moment I first saw you. I swear to god, Arin, I won’t let them kill you.”

“I trust you.”

 

——————————————————————————

 

Dan stayed at Arin’s apartment every night now, guarding Arin as he slept. Dan didn’t need to rest, and he never would have. Arin meant everything to him. He was bitter and cold before he met Arin, but having him around made Dan feel almost human again, a feeling he hadn’t had for centuries. He had hundreds of lovers before now, but he hadn’t loved them, not really. They were just fuck toys to cure his boredom, he had been so sure that he was incapable of truly loving someone ever again.

That was, until that night when he found Ross with his claws around the neck of a tall, burly young man wearing powder pink. Dan instantly found him charming. He had a bit of a baby face, sure, but he looked like he could lift Dan up by his ponytail with one arm and not even break a sweat. He was gorgeous, Dan couldn’t get him out of his mind.

And now here he was, the object of his desire sleeping soundly in his arms, listening to his soft inhale and exhale. He knew it couldn’t last forever, though, Arin was just a human. He would live to 70, maybe 80 if Dan was lucky, and pass away. Dan couldn’t bear to think about it.

Dan stroked Arin’s silky hair, savoring every moment he could spend with him. Dan looked at his watch. It was almost four in the morning.

Dan’s ears pricked up as he heard a sound coming from the kitchen. Another sound, slightly closer. Dan got out of bed, careful not to wake Arin. He rounded the corner to find two unfamiliar vampires creeping around the apartment.

“ARIN!” Dan shouted as loud as he could to warn Arin of the intruders. “GET OUT OF HERE, FAST!”

Dan heard Arin get out of the bed and run to the window, wrenching it open. Meanwhile, the two intruders lunged at Dan. He wasn’t about to fuck around fighting them, he was going for the immediate kill. The first vampire approached as the other one ran past Dan toward Arin, who had climbed out onto the fire escape.

Dan knew his opponent was extremely inexperienced, using it to his advantage. He quickly wrestled the man to the ground and slit his throat with his claws, leaving him to bleed out on the carpet. Dan rushed into the bedroom just in time to see the other vampire pull Arin back through the window by his leg and slice a deep gash into his back.

Time stood still. The only sound Dan could hear was Arin’s scream. Arin laid still on the floor as the vampire looked up at Dan, laughing. Dan roared with rage, tackling the intruder and pinning him to the floor. He punched the man in the face again and again, striking as hard as he could. After his knuckles were thoroughly bloodied, he snapped the man’s neck. He sat there, heaving with anger and distress, hot tears tracking down his cheeks.

“Dan…”

Dan whipped around. Arin was alive. Dan rushed to his side, only slightly relieved. Arin was alive, yes, but he wouldn’t be for long.

Unless…

Dan sunk his teeth into Arin’s neck, holding his hand as he desperately attempted to save his boyfriend’s life. It was a long shot, but it was a risk he was willing to take. Arin cried out in pain.

Arin’s body began to change. The wound in his back healed, his ears became long and pointed, his teeth grew razor sharp, and the whites of his eyes turned pitch black. It had worked.

Arin was alive. Forever.

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry it's a bit shorter than I intended it to be, this just felt like the right place to end it. I'll try not to make you wait forever for the next chapter!!!


End file.
